April 2, 2009
UK plans for independent body to handle animal health
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) reported decisions on an independent body to handle animal diseases under proposals announced for consultation by Environment Secretary Hilary Benn.
The proposals would see a new independent board established to make decisions about animal health policy and delivery, made up of members with knowledge, experience and skills in the livestock industry, animal health science and welfare and relevant public health, consumer and wildlife issues, said Benn.
The plans will help to reduce the risks and costs of animal disease, improve confidence in animal health policies, and ensure the livestock keepers who benefit from animal disease control measures share the costs of those measures with taxpayers.
The new body will be responsible for dealing with exotic disease outbreaks, policy on endemic diseases, advising on the payment rates for animals culled as part of disease control, and controlling animal diseases that pose a threat to public health.
The new body would be largely publicly funded, with a levy on livestock keepers contributing to the costs of surveillance and preparedness for exotic disease outbreaks.
Views are also being sought on compulsory insurance for livestock keepers to contribute to the cost of dealing with exotic disease outbreaks.
